After he introduced himself to those attending an immigrant stories event Feb. 5 at the Oak Park Public Library, Ibrahim Mokhtar said he felt comfortable — for the first time ever — to say his name with its Arabic pronunciation to a crowd of strangers.

Mokhtar, a senior at Oak Park and River Forest High School, was one of a handful of speakers who stepped up to a microphone and shared details of their lives and experiences during "#NoMuslimBanEver: An evening of immigrant stories," organized by 90 Days, 90 Voices and Veterans for American Ideals-Chicago.

A wrestler and spoken word club member at the high school, Mokhtar performed an original spoken word piece titled "Mama's Sacrifices." Sharing personal stories in public can be especially daunting, he said.

"It still scares me," he added.

As one of the founders of 90 Days, 90 Voices, Nissa Rhee said the group of journalists, photographers and artists came together in early 2017, after the Trump administration announced a Muslim travel ban, with the goal of promoting more immigrant voices in media.

"We felt we wanted more full stories," Rhee said.

Those who spoke included Zahra Aljuboori, a 14-year-old Iraqi refugee; Suzanne Akhras Sahloul, a Syrian immigrant who runs the Syrian Community Network; and Nestor Gomez, who came to the U.S. from Guatemala in the 1980s.

The Feb. 5 event marked just over one year since the ban was enacted. Rhee said Veterans for American Ideals-Chicago approached 90 Days, 90 Voices about organizing the event in recognition of that.

Changing the world is about exchanging stories, particularly with people who don't look like you, event host Don Hall told the crowd. With regard to the ban, it's all a battle of stories, he added, and the president's bully pulpit is large.

"And the only way we truly fight that story is to tell our own stories," Hall said.

Rhee said she hoped the event re-energized the public and gave people the chance to meet those affected by the ban. With about 40 people in attendance, speakers shared their experiences getting to America, as well as their worries, hopes and wisdom.

Sahloul, the granddaughter of a Methodist minister, was born in Homs, Syria and came to the U.S. at age 10. She described the joy she gets from working with refugees through the Syrian Community Network.

"We know what it's like, I know what it's like to be a stranger who wants to be welcomed," Sahloul said. "… What we really wanted to do is create a community that is warm and welcoming to the refugees as they relocate to their new city."

Performer Emily Lund read a story from Jafra Saif, who mentioned the differences in Syrian society: marriage at age 9, having children at 16, one television channel, the possibility of being arrested just for gathering in a small group.

"In a way, I think all Syrians have PTSD. I think every single one," Lund read.

Aljuboori talked about the ups and downs experienced in her young life: a vivid memory of her bloodied father after a car accident, both of her parents battling cancer, her mother's pregnancy loss and subsequent healthy babies, quickly learning English so she could translate her family's medical bills.

"Life is like an ocean: sometimes it's calm, sometimes it's stormy, but it still has beauty," she said. " … Let us all have the courage to love our families and each other."

Laura Mendoza, an immigration organizer with the Resurrection Project in Chicago, talked about the outrage she feels at the level of scrutiny over Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients like herself, who fear being deported.

"These are lives that are being put at stake," Mendoza said.

Gomez talked about his family's experience making their way into the U.S., from Guatemala to Mexico to California to Chicago. He closed his story by recalling he and his siblings at last getting to break the silence required during their journey, as they hugged and cried with their mother when she opened the door in Chicago.

Attendee Hiwot Gebreyohannes, who immigrated from Ethiopia to Canada and came to Chicago about eight months ago, said the event inspired her to get more involved.

"It was actually really emotional for me," she said. "It's nice to hear about other people's stories and reflect on your own."